Diplomatic sources in Beijing say North Korean leader Kim Jong-il will not designate one of his sons as his successor, and will instead introduce a collective leadership to run the communist country after him.

The sources said Sunday that Kim had picked his eldest son Jong-nam as his successor, but has prepared to adopt a collective leadership system for several years.

Kim Jong-il inherited his country's leadership from his father Kim Il-sung, who founded the communist state after World War Two.

The sources said the incumbent leader's change of mind is apparently due to opposition from inside Pyongyang's power elite, and fears that all three generations of the Kim family could come under fire if the North Korean regime fails to rebuild its moribund economy.

Kim Jong-nam was quoted as saying recently in Beijing that the North's supreme leadership will face severe criticism if it fails to restore the economy, adding he has no interest in succeeding his father and would not even if asked to.

The sources said Kim Jong-il has not openly declared the introduction of a collective leadership, but has formed a committee for the task and is test-running such a model led by generals.